The most heartfelt moment of the night for me, came when Bonnie sang her Grammy Award winning song “Just Like That”. Bonnie opened up about her friend and inspiration, John Prine, who tragically lost his life a few years ago from Covid. She mentioned that she was channeling John when wrote the song..

Bonnie Raitt graced the stage of the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall in Portland last Wednesday for the second of two shows. The theater was packed with adoring fans, many of whom had not missed a performance since she first started touring. The last time I saw Bonnie in concert was about twenty years ago, so I was looking forward to finally seeing her again, and she did not disappoint! From the moment she entered the stage to her final bow, she had the audience in the palm of her hand. The backdrop was a gorgeous hand painted scene with a sunset over the water, changing color with every song. And throughout the evening there were chants of “We love you Bonnie!” to which she responded “I love you too!”

She started off the set with “I Sho Do”, followed by “God Was in the Water”, “Made Up Mind”, “Love So Strong”, and “Blame it on Me”. I was wondering if Bonnie would make mention of the difficult world affairs, and she did. She talked about how hard it was to wake up to the news sometimes, but that it helps for everyone to get together and listen to music to get us through these crazy times. She reminded the audience to vote, to hopefully bring some light, love, and sanity back to the world. And that led into the next song, the surprisingly upbeat version of “Help me Lord”, as Bonnie invited the audience to sing along.

The most heartfelt moment of the night for me, came when Bonnie sang her Grammy Award winning song “Just Like That”. Bonnie opened up about her friend and inspiration, John Prine, who tragically lost his life a few years ago from Covid. She mentioned that she was channeling John when wrote the song. “Just Like That” is about a grieving mother who meets the heart transplant recipient of her deceased son. During her performance you could hear a pin drop, and I imagine that everyone in the audience was in tears. I know I was.

Switching to a more upbeat tone, Bonnie sat at the piano for “Nick of Time”, and then sang one of my favorites, John Prine’s “Angel From Montgomery”, followed by “Livin’ for the Ones” and Steal Your Heart Away”.

The encore had a huge surprise with Portland’s own Curtis Salgado joining her for the last song. I didn’t realize they had been friends for over forty years, and when she introduced him, the crowd went wild. He thanked her for asking him to join her, and also thanked her for paying his rent when he was in the hospital getting his liver transplant many years ago. Bonnie nodded an acknowledgment, and then they sang “Never Make Your Move Too Soon”. Bonnie then called James Hunter back on stage, as well as all of her band members (guitarist Duke Levine, keyboardist Glenn Patscha, drummer Ricky Fataar and bassist James “Hutch” Hutchinson), and the audience was invited to take out their phones to take photos. A perfect end to a perfect evening!

I also want to recognize the supporting band, British singer songwriter James Hunter and his band. He has a great band, with a retro soul and classic R&B sound. His band of six includes drummer Jonathan Lee, Keyboardist Chris Hazelton, bassist Jason Wilson, saxophonist Damian Hand, and saxophonist Lee Badau.

About The Author

Diane Russell

Music reviewer, photographer and painter.

Diane Russell was born and raised in Portland, Oregon. She is a painter and photographer. You’ve seen her paintings and drawings of musicians all over town, including in here. And you’ve seen her photography on OMN for many years and we’re happy to be able to have her work on our pages.

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– I’ve gone to hundreds of concerts since my first one in 1979 so 45 years later, you’re bound to get some repetition. But just because a musician has been around forever, it doesn’t make them a nostalgia act. Case in point: Bonnie Raitt, who recently performed a nearly sold-out show under a glorious full moon on a surprisingly chilly Wednesday night at Vina Robles.

Sure, there were classic hits from her early ’90s multi-platinum records, heartfelt covers, and sing-alongs but Raitt stands out as a fresh, relevant artist unlike many artists from rock’s heyday who are well past their prime.

It certainly helps too that she can do it all: write great songs, eloquently sing and tell stories, and play a mean lead guitar. It also helps that she has a tight-knit band, including former Beach Boys drummer Ricky Fataar, that’s been touring with her for decades.

Her 18-song set was varied and well-paced throughout the 105-minute performance, frequently paying homage to legendary songwriters John Prine (Angel from Montgomery) and J.D. Souther, who passed away this week as well as contemporaries like Michael McDonald.

Of course, there’s always a classic hit like ‘Thing Called Love’ that gets left out of the setlist to the dismay of some fanboys but Raitt’s passion and talent overcame any quibbles concertgoers may have felt.

Still, it’s always a good sign when they start playing a new song you’ve never heard before but 30 seconds in, you’re humming and swaying to the distinct rhythm and Raitt did just that with ‘Livin for the Ones’ from her most recent album.

It was also the first headliner concert I’ve attended in a while where photos and video were not allowed, forcing the audience to put their smartphones away. I think she did it for us more than her and the band.

Raitt also made a few references to recent world strife, the upcoming election and her involvement in protesting Diablo Canyon during the late 70’s No Nukes movement.

But most impressive was her appreciation for everyone and everything around her, always giving credit to others despite being the obvious centerpiece and star of the show. We’ve seen rock egos get out of control recently with REO Speedwagon and Jane’s Addiction abruptly ending their tours.

Raitt at 74 on the other hand, shows no signs of slowing down, lamenting the lockdown preventing her from doing what she was meant to do: hit the road and perform live in front of her many fans.

She’s back and we’re all much better off for it.

On Friday, Sept. 6, the Findlay Toyota Center played host to one of the most influential musicians of her time, Bonnie Raitt.

Raitt, who is a critically acclaimed roots and blues musician who mixes a bit of rock, folk and country into her playing style, dazzled the just over 4,000 people who were lucky enough to catch her that night with a set list of 17 songs in total.

The opener for the night, a British band called The James Hunter Six, came on stage and played its mix of traditional blues mixed with a bit of 2Tone, old classic Rock ‘n’ Roll, a hint of funk and soul, and a dash of all-around good times to an audience that, for the most part, had never heard of the self-proclaimed busker and his backing band. They left the audience dancing in their seats.

Hunter, who has been in the music industry for more than 30 years, came out with a joke to help liven up the room by saying, “This is where they all told us to be, right here in Prescott Valley. And I mean EVERYONE in England told us to get out and come here…”, and from that point the audience was his.

As the set ended, and the final stragglers found their seats before the lights dimmed and the headlining act for the night took the stage, there was a brief conversation with Raitt’s lighting engineer. I had the chance to ask him what it was like to do lights for her, what each night involved, and he responded that it was an honor to be able to work for her.

He said Raitt has about 60 songs that she can pull from every night for a concert, which makes each show a special and individual experience all onto itself. He stated that the set list that is made up every night is more of a guideline of what COULD be played, but that his earpiece was directly linked to Raitt’s and her guitarist so he knew of any sudden changes to the set, which happened more often than one might think.

And because of this, her set lists are heavily guarded.

This proved to be true on this night, as Raitt and her backing band on their fourth song of the night where she announced that she had changed her mind for the opening night of this leg of her tour and wanted to play John Hiatt’s “Thing Called Love.” She also later changed the set list around and introduced the song “Blame it on Me.”

Throughout the night, Raitt talked about her newest single, “Made Up Mind,” off of her 2022 album (and 21st studio album, Just Like That), as well as celebrating 40 years with her bassist and drummer. She also talked about the altitude and how she hiked Goldwater Lake.

By the end of the show, everyone in attendance was on their feet giving the multi-Grammy winning artist a full-hearted ovation.

Her set included the following songs, as a full setlist was not available for this show: I Sho Do (The Bluerunners cover); God was in the Water (Randall Brambiett cover); Thing Called Love (John Hiatt cover); Blame it on Me; Hear Me Lord (Oliver Mtukudzi cover); Million Miles; Let’s Give Them Something to Talk About; Angel from Montgomery (a John Prine cover) and more.

About The Author

Chris Ortiz

News Editor

Chris Ortiz is the news editor for the Prescott News Network.

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